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Fashion

Backstage at ASHISH

josie / 20th September 2016

Backstage at ASHISH

The Backstage Buzz

One of my favourite things about London Fashion Week is the electric buzz in the atmosphere backstage before a show. As the catwalk time draws closer, that buzz is intensified into a full on frenzy, but this year I visited the backstage area of the British Fashion Council Show Space 2 hours before the ASHISH show was due to start, before the panic set in!

Before I share my behind the scenes snaps, let’s take a look at my OOTD for day two of London Fashion Week! I opted for a full Reiss outfit, which I’d chosen from the incredibly luxurious Reiss Personal Shopping area above their Regent Street store the week before. The colour palette of muted pastels and greys worked well for an Autumnal look, with a nod to the SS17 trends appearing on the catwalks, and I found culottes and a knitted sleeveless top to be the perfect marriage of practicality and comfort on such a busy day.

What I adore about Reiss, and have done since before I worked on their shop floor, is the way the the clothes fit. Every design detail has been carefully considered, ensuring the most flattering fit. The culottes hang in an elegant silhouette, while the blush coloured top clings to the body in all the right places. While the nude suede and vinyl heels are high stilettos for dashing between shows, they remained comfortable all day – and with such a beautiful and classic colour, I just know I’ll be getting lots of use out of these in the months to come.

I completed the look with a delicate pink cross body bag, also from Reiss, the snake effect created a contrasting texture to my outfit, and the beautiful high shine gold shoulder strap ensured the bag was secure, and giving a luxe finish to the accessory.

Finally on my wrists, I created a rose gold collection, including a new watch from Shore Projects, a grey pearl bracelet from Ted Baker, and a stunning semi-precious bracelet from Lola Rose.

Shop The Look

ASHISH

Meanwhile backstage, I’d barely put my bag down before Ashish himself began to explain his inspiration behind the collection; exotic, magical and fantastical were his key words to describe the range, he spoke with a look of excitement in his eyes as he told us how he wanted the audience and show attendees to feel as though they’d walked into a Bollywood movie set upon arriving at the catwalk show.

The references for the collection include Indian belly dancers, who express their emotions through their makeup and dance – the models faces were painted to depict emotions; include Green and Blue to symbolise harmony, calm, and envy.

Ashish grew up in india, and the pop culture references from his childhood show in the collection – with quotes from Indian comic books, and embellishment inspired by the way his mother used to dress him as a child. It’s clear that a lot of emotion and memories were poured into the SS17 collection, and the show itself was a spectacle – drawing the audience in to an Indian Bollywood extravaganza.

I was invited backstage by Toni & Guy, whose products were used on the model’s hair. Also inspired by women from the Middle East and India, spanning from the 1950s to today – the styles were highly embellished, voluminous and extravagant. The texture and shine was created using the Volume Plumping Mousse, while lots of 3D volumising spray was needed to keep the flamboyant styles in place. The finished look was set with Extreme Style Creation hairspray, before a mist of dry shampoo was applied, to give the look a dusty finish.

Create The Look with Toni & Guy

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Once again I was incredibly privileged and honoured to be seated on the front row – my first time on the FROW at the BFC show space – giving me the best view in the house to see the collections as they came down the runway. The atmosphere was incredible thanks to the twinkling overhead lights, and live Indian music. Each design was brighter and more flamboyant than the last, with a spectacle of colours ranging from pastel pinks and blues, to vivid emeralds, fuchsia and teal. No design was un-embellished, with Ashish’s signature glitter and sparkle adorning each look. The hair was as incredible as the outfits, with the models sporting long embellished braids, tiaras and jewellery.

The backstage buzz, catwalk atmosphere and the SS17 collection combined to make the Ashish SS17 show my favourite of London Fashion Week so far – thank you so much to Toni & Guy for inviting me!